Matthew van Poortvliet, Lucy de Las Casas and Padraic Brick
London: New Philanthropy Capital, March 2011. 33pp Free to download at http://www.philanthropycapital.org/publications/improving_the_sector/grantmaking/knowledge_sharing.aspx

Learning and knowledge-sharing across the charity sector are not working as well as they might. According to one of the authors of this report, Matthew van Poortvliet: “Charitable funders are usually seen in terms of the money that they give out: as cash machines doling out grants. But effective funders also have considerable intellectual assets—expertise and specialist knowledge about the areas they fund, about supporting charities, and about how to fund effectively. Making the most of this knowledge is vital, especially when financial resources are stretched.” This report suggests how funders could increase their impact by developing a culture of learning within their own organisations so that they can learn more through their own grant-making. By sharing their knowledge with other funders, charities and policy-makers, the rest of the sector can also benefit from their experience.